Will you ever be mine?

Chapter 13

Tahimik akong sumunod rito palabas ng transient home.

Nagdrive kami sa pinakamalapit na diner sa tinutuluyan namin.

Hindi ko alam kung paano ito kakausapin kaya hindi na ako nagtangkang magsalita pa bukod sa minsang pag-order ko ng pagkain.

"I'm sorry about earlier. Did the noise wake you up?" Basag ni Jeff sa katahimikan sa kalagitnaan ng pagkain namin.

Napatingin ako rito. "Okay lang. Hindi pa ako natutulog." Tugon ko rito.

"Did you hear everything?"

Nag-angat ako ng tingin at natagpuang nakatitig sa akin si Jeff.

I quietly nodded.

After that, nobody talked. We continued eating in silence. Paminsan-minsan habang sumusubo ng pagkain ay pasimple akong sumusulyap kay Jeff.

"Just ask if you're curious about something. I'll try to answer you." Napapitlag ako nang bigla itong nagsalita sabay sulyap sa akin.

I laughed awkwardly.

"Uhh... so you're also a Teofilo. Akala ko isa lang ang anak ni Senator Jerry Teofilo." I said awkwardly.

Yumuko si Jeff at kumain. "I am his son from another woman." He answered nonchalantly. Natigilan ako. Now I felt even more awkward. Hindi ko na tuloy nagawa pang makapagtanong pagkatapos no'n.

After eating, we drove back to the transient home. The whole time, no one spoke. Hindi kumikibo si Jeff kaya nanatili rin akong tahimik, pero mukha namang hindi ito nagalit sa pagiging usisero ko kanina. Minsan lang nga ay napapansin kong malayo ang tingin nito.

Pagkabalik namin sa unit namin ay pumasok na kami sa kani-kaniya naming mga kwarto.

I sighed inwardly.

I’m tired.

Mas ramdam ko na ngayon ang pagpitik ng sentido ko dahil sa kakulangan ko ng tulog. Hindi ko lang maidaing sa kasama ko dahil sa nangyari kanina.

Pagkabagsak ko ng katawan ko sa kama ay nakatulog agad ako.

Alas tres na ng hapon nang magising ako.

Hindi man walong oras ang tulog ko ay nawala naman ang nararamdaman kong sakit sa ulo.

I went out of my room and was about to take a shower when I noticed Jeff sitting on the couch just staring into space.

"Hey." Bati ko rito. Imbis na tumuloy sa banyo ay nilapitan ko ito.

Tumingala ito.

"Gising ka na pala. Kamusta ang tulog?" Tanong nito.

Umupo ako sa tabi nito at binuksan ang telebisyon. "Ayos naman." Tugon ko rito.

"Nauna na akong naglunch. Hindi na kita ginising."

"Sige lang." Pasimple ko itong tinignan. Mukhang wala pa din ito sa mood.

Tumikhim ako. "Do you wanna go back to Manila?" I asked him while looking in front. Naramdaman kong lumingon ito sa gawi ko.

"Okay lang ba?" Tanong nito. Binaling ko ang tingin ko rito.

"Of course," I answered. I patted his shoulder gently and said, "Maliligo lang ako."

After taking a bath, I immediately packed up the clothes that needs to be laundered. Pagkatapos ay nagtungo na ako sa sala kung saan naghihintay si Jeff.

"Tara." Yaya ko rito habang isinusukbit sa balikat ko ang backpack at sa braso ko naman ang helmet.

*****

Instead of driving through Kennon Road, we drove down the mountain using the Marcos Highway route.

As we drove down, I saw pasalubong vendors along the way. There was even a tunnel.

Pagkalipas ng ilang minuto, napa-menor ako nang makita ko ang motor ni Jeff na bumagal ang takbo at nagsignal pakanan. Kapagkuwan ay tumigil ito sa gilid ng daan kaya naman gano’n rin ang ginawa ko.

Tinanggal ko ang helmet ko at nagtatanong ang mga matang tumingin rito.

"Is there something wrong with the duc?"

Hindi ito tumugon. Bagkus ay bumaba ito ng motor at tumayo sa gilid ng bangin. Nakita kong bumaba ito mula sa motor nito saka tumayo sa gilid ng bangin at tumitig sa malayo.

I got off my bike and quietly stood behind him.

A few minutes later, Jeff began speaking.

"I told you that I was a mistress' son. My mom is a Chinese-Filipino from Laoag.” I stared at his body casting a shadow over the surface of the pavement. His figure looked so desolate at that moment.

"Matagal nang magkakilala ang mga magulang ko bago pa nakilala ng tatay ko ang asawa niya ngayon na si Catherine Regala. My Mom and Dad were college sweethearts. Pero kagaya ng iba ay nagkahiwalay rin sila at nagkaroon ng kani-kaniyang buhay. Dad stayed in Manila while my Mom remained in Laoag and stayed single. Taon ang nakalipas, their feelings rekindled when they accidentally met again. My mom didn't know that Dad was already married back then. And that he and Catherine already had a son.

“On the day my mom confirmed her pregnancy, she found out that Dad was no longer a free man. Na ang ginawa nila ay isang malaking kasalanan. She immediately cut off her relationship with Dad. At that time, Dad had no idea that I was already in my Mom's womb.

"Kilala ang pamilya ng mga Yan sa Laoag dahil sa mga kaliwa't kanan na negosyo nila. They had enough capital to hide the fact that my Mom had a son from a married man. Years passed, it was during my graduation when Mom and Dad met again. That's when my Dad saw me...

"Kahit sinong makakita sa amin hindi maipagkakailang anak niya ako. We looked almost identical, only his face was an older version of mine." Kwento nito.

Now that he mentioned it, they indeed looked similar.

"Dad immediately wanted me to carry his name when he found out that I was his son. He wanted me to become a Teofilo. Teofilo back then was slowly gaining their power with the help of Catherine's family, the Regalas.

"Mom gave her permission and allowed Dad to have a communication with me. Partly, it was because she was feeling guilty for not making me experience what it feels like to have a father and another part is just my guess, but I think my Mom still loves Dad even if they're not together anymore.

"Dad took me to the Teofilo residence. However, the day he introduced me to his wife, she went hysterical. She couldn't accept me.

"So my Dad made me study in a foreign country. Dahil daw doon din nag-graduate ang half brother ko, so he said, I should do the same. However, I knew studying was just an excuse. Because I knew from the very beginning, the real reason was that Catherine couldn't stand the sight of me.

"To her, I was an eyesore. Yes, they provided every material thing I needed noong nagpunta ako sa States, pero inilayo nila ako sa nanay ko. I was sixteen when I went abroad to study. I was alone in that place and I didn't know anyone.

"I only survived the homesickness kasi nakakausap ko pa rin ang nanay ko kahit na nasa malayo siya. We rarely talked though, but it was enough for me. It was her who told me to graduate first before returning home. She wanted me to learn well so I could be independent.” Huminga ng malalim si Jeff bago ito nagpatuloy sa pagsasalita.

“I should have noticed that something was wrong back then..." Mahinang saad nito. "Years later, I graduated with flying colors. It was during my masters when I accidentally found out that Regalas had been pressuring the Yans for a couple of years already.

"Regala is a powerful clan in Ilocos. They have about the same power as the Teofilo Clan. They were powerful enough to make my Mom's family go bankrupt. Nalaman ko na lang na nakatira na ang pamilya ko sa isang lugar na kung saan isang manipis na pader lang ang pagitan ng bawat kabahayan. My grandparents who had been living in comfort all their lives were already too old to live in that kind of place.

"I was so ashamed to death. Habang nasa ibang bansa ako, hindi ko man lang alam na naghihirap na pala ang pamilya ng nanay ko.

"I immediately cut off my connection with Dad. I threw away all the cards and left the house I used to stay in during breaks. I swore at that time that I will return every cent he spent on me back to him. However, it was easier said than done. Paano ko magagawa iyon kung ni singkong duling ay wala na akong kapera-pera para ipagpatuloy pa ang pag-aaral ko noon. I had no other option but to look for work so I could support myself. But it was not enough.

"It was Leo Simmons—my best friend and roommate—who helped me. Thanks to him and his family, I was able to complete my master's studies. And to return my gratitude, I have been working alongside him, helping him build his own empire. And just a year after we worked together, he helped me bring back the comfortable life the Yan Family once had.

"With the backing of the Romualdez and Simmons, the Regalas wouldn’t be able to touch the Yan Family anymore. Leo also made the Yan Family manage the Simmons Mall in Laoag." Pagkatapos ng mahabang kwento nito ay nanahimik ulit ito. Hindi rin ako nakapagsalita. I was too shocked by his revelation.

"Matagal ko nang iniiwasan ang mga Teofilo. All these years, iilang beses lang kaming nagtagpo. Kung alam ko lang na magkakasummit, I would've just brought you to another place." He paused for a second and turned his head to look at me. "But since nandito na tayo noong nalaman natin, I thought what are the odds, diba?" Jeff laughed but it sounded hollow. Napayuko ako.

Narinig ko itong bumuntong hininga.

"I'm sorry. It just brought back painful memories when I saw my brother again." Narinig kong sabi nito.

"It's okay.”